Los Angeles, CA -- Hollywood -- July 17, 2007

Hollywood

I woke up in the morning wondering if I should depart Los Angeles without ever seeing the Hollywood sign--am I a complete failure as a tourist?

But, while I was running to the bus station--I was cutting it close, living by the motto of using as much wireless time as possible--I looked up and, there it was. Ha! My initial plan for this trip was to try to capture the character of the cities I visited within the photos, something I hadn't done the day before. Now, admittedly, I did have to ask this kind woman, who I met at the bus terminal and who just happened to be a book dealer, to walk two blocks down the street so I could get this sign in the photo. And, admittedly, the sign is so small and smoggy that you have to squint, but it is there.

What's she reading? Don't ask, she says. It's not a leather bound Mark Twain, she apologized and then amended that even book dealers should not be held to a high standard all the time. Her favorite books--anything by Kurt Vonnegut. She just got back from traveling in Europe to discover that he died!

I will be, when I hit Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut's hometown, be paying my homage to the author.


Hollywood


While the above shot is completely lacking in integrity , the one below is just as it was. We were running back to the bus station (my bus was five minutes overdue to arrive) when, right in front of us, was a man reading The Iliad, propped up on a newspaper box! He was just closing it as I was getting my camera out and, as I didn't have the time to explain that I needed him to open it back up for the picture, I just took it as is. His favorite book--Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.



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